Medvedev signs food embargo extension until August 2016

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree to extend Russia’s embargo on food imports until August 5, 2016. The details of the extended ‘blacklist’ remained unchanged, he said.

"Thelistis no different [from last year –
Ed.] except for some positions.It includes the same livestock
products, including meat of cattle, pigs, edible offal, fish and
shellfish, milk and dairy products, vegetables, sausages and so
on,” Medvedev said.

Countermeasures to Western sanctions were dictated not by
political, but economic motives, he added.

Medvedev urged ministers not to comment on the decision to extend
the Russian food embargo before final publication of the relevant
documents. “It confuses the market and introduces
uncertainty,” he added.

Russian food watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor spokesman Aleksey
Alekseenko said Tuesday that Russia was considering a
ban on European chocolate and flowers. Russian Agriculture
Minister Aleksandr Tkachev said the ministry had plans to limit
imports of flowers and canned fish from countries on the
sanctions list, but no decision to include chocolate on the list
had been made.

Efforts by Russia and the EU are key to putting an end to the
so-called ‘sanction war’, Medvedev said. However, so far there
are no significant efforts from the West, he added.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order to
extend Russian sanctions for another year. The government was
instructed to work out and publish corresponding documents as
soon as possible.

The EU prolonged Russia sanctions for six months on
Monday, which followed last week’s decision to extend sanctions against Crimea for another
year.